After the Beautiful Omega Was Targeted by His Straight Roommate - Chapter 25.2

However, since there was a height difference of more than half a head between them, Tao Ran’s slender frame was completely enveloped in the other man’s embrace, his face resting against the crook of Qi Yuxiao’s neck.

Because the movement happened so suddenly, he instinctively reached out to stop them from getting too close, his palms bracing haphazardly against a certain spot on the other man’s body.

 

The touch was warm, solid, yet slightly resilient.

 

Tao Ran snapped back to his senses. Was this… a chest muscle?

 

The same chest muscle he had only dared to steal a few glances at before.

 

Blood rushed from the soles of his feet to his head in an instant. Tao Ran’s palms remained pressed against the chest, not daring to move an inch, feeling the steady, rhythmic drumming of the heart beneath the well-developed muscle tissue.

 

He allowed Qi Yuxiao to press his nose against the back of his ear. As the warm exhaled air brushed against that patch of soft, sensitive skin, Tao Ran became a bit lightheaded, and his thoughts began to drift aimlessly.

 

He felt that Qi Yuxiao’s movements of holding and sniffing him were becoming increasingly skillful and natural.

 

Was this the casual, relaxed vibe that came from being a natural straight man?

 

In contrast, he still felt a bit timid and unadjusted to such intimate movements between guys.

 

He wondered if he should… learn a thing or two from Qi Yuxiao.

 

Because they were so close, Tao Ran’s cheek rested against the edge of Qi Yuxiao’s collar. Suddenly, a familiar faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils, seemingly originating from the other man’s body.

 

Tao Ran froze slightly.

 

Once he realized what it was, a sense of joy bubbled up in his heart. He tilted his head to look at Qi Yuxiao, his voice tinged with a bit of excitement. “Qi Yuxiao, it seems like you have my scent on you too.”

 

Qi Yuxiao’s hands remained quietly around Tao Ran’s thin, soft waist, tightening almost imperceptibly. “Really?”

 

“Really,” Tao Ran said happily.

 

How miraculous.

 

Could this be the power of “cuddling”?

 

Qi Yuxiao said softly, “It might be because we held each other for a long time last night.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Although the transferred fragrance was much lighter than the scent on his own body and might vanish with a single gust of wind, it was already a very good sign.

 

After experiencing the effects of the hug, Tao Ran was no longer so unadjusted to this intimate movement. He tried to proactively reach out and wrap his arms around Qi Yuxiao’s waist.

 

Finding that the person in his arms had completely relaxed and fully accepted the close physical embrace, a surge of pleasure rose in Qi Yuxiao’s chest. He let out a soft chuckle, his deep voice carrying a trace of subtle persuasion that was hard to detect. “If we hold each other a bit longer, the effect might be even better.”

 

Tao Ran’s mind whirred, and he nodded in agreement. “That makes sense.”

 

He buried his face in Qi Yuxiao’s chest, unable to help but reveal his thoughts. “If only I could transfer all the fragrance on my body to you.”

 

“There is no need,” Qi Yuxiao said. “I think this is very good as it is.”

 

His lowered gaze landed on Tao Ran’s pink, translucent earlobe. His heart itched secretly, and he instinctively reached out, giving it a very light squeeze with his fingertip.

 

That happened to be a sensitive spot for Tao Ran. The other man’s fingertip felt as if it carried an electric current, causing his body to shrink back. He looked up at the other man blankly and asked innocently, “What is it?”

 

For a fleeting moment, Qi Yuxiao discovered that the thing his heart craved was actually a very blurred collection of things.

 

The fragrance was only a small part of it.

 

If all the fragrance on Tao Ran’s body were extracted and made into a bottle of perfume, even if the scent were identical, it might lose its effect on Qi Yuxiao.

 

But this collection of things was hidden within a thick fog, its outline blurred and impossible to trace for now.

 

“It is nothing.” Qi Yuxiao’s wandering thoughts gradually returned.

 

Tao Ran wanted to ask further, but the familiar sound of a sliding door suddenly echoed behind his ear.

 

Tao Ran’s mind exploded. An ill omen triggered a sudden burst of strength within him. He shoved Qi Yuxiao away with a sudden force and squatted down to the side like a thief with a guilty conscience.

 

“What are you two doing on the balcony so early in the morning?” As expected, after the glass door slid open, Zhuo Qiang’s voice rang out.

 

Same time, same place, he and Qi Yuxiao were caught by the same person while engaged in some “shady” business.

 

Zhuo Qiang looked sleepy as he strangely scrutinized Qi Yuxiao, who was standing on the balcony like a window mannequin, and Tao Ran, who was crouching suspiciously at his feet.

 

Same time, same place, the same two inexplicable people, and the same him who had been woken up by the urge to use the bathroom.

 

An eerie sense of familiarity crept into his brain. Zhuo Qiang’s mind felt hazy. “Damn it, am I having hallucinations from staying up late? Why do I feel like I have seen this scene before?”

 

“Then clear your head.” Qi Yuxiao kindly reached out and slid the glass door fully open for him.

 

The cool late-autumn wind rushed in instantly. Zhuo Qiang shivered from the cold, and the hair on his arms stood up in fright.

 

Damn.

 

This plot felt even more familiar.

 

Zhuo Qiang turned to look at Qi Yuxiao in terror and bewilderment, asking dazed, “Am I supposed to say ‘thanks, brother’ next?”

 

Qi Yuxiao said indifferently, “You are welcome.”

 

“Then I will go to the bathroom first.” Zhuo Qiang still hadn’t fully recovered. He turned to head to the restroom but glanced at the ground and saw Tao Ran still crouching there.

 

Zhuo Qiang was startled. “Tao Ran, what are you doing crouching here?”

 

Tao Ran picked up his laundry basin, his face lowered so far it was almost buried inside. “I… I suddenly remembered that the clothes I took off last night haven’t been washed yet. I was just about to wash them.”

 

“Oh, okay.” Finally, there was a detail that differed from his memory. Zhuo Qiang finally felt a sense of returning to reality. He muttered strangely, “Why does it feel like I always run into you two acting suspiciously on the balcony?”

 

“We… we just happened to wake up at the same time.” Tao Ran explained guiltily.

 

“Oh, alright.” Zhuo Qiang barely accepted this reason. Feeling an urgent push from his lower body, he hurriedly said, “Never mind, if I keep talking, I won’t be able to hold it anymore.”

 

“Okay, then go ahead,” Tao Ran said.

 

When he turned back, he found that Qi Yuxiao was no longer on the balcony. He bit his lip, his cheeks flushing a frantic red after the fact.

 

They were almost caught just now; how could Qi Yuxiao be so calm?

 

Wanting to head back into the dorm, he originally intended to tell Qi Yuxiao about the heart-pounding moment just now, but he realized that Su Jiali had also woken up.

 

Tao Ran had no choice but to temporarily suppress his desire to speak.

 

In the afternoon, there was a major course.

 

After the bell rang, Tao Ran was packing his things to leave when he suddenly heard a light tapping on the desk.

 

Tao Ran’s movements paused. He looked up in confusion and saw a boy looking at him with a smile.

 

Scanning the other man’s exquisite and trendy outfit, Tao Ran felt a sense of unfamiliarity. He focused and carefully identified the face before slowly remembering the person: it was his class monitor, Zhou Qiang.

 

“Tao Ran, our class is planning to organize a team-building event this weekend.” Zhou Qiang’s face was powdered, and his delicate features were dyed with vivid colors. He said softly, “It has been so long since school started, and our class hasn’t organized this kind of group activity. You live in a mixed dorm and are quite far from us; it is clear you aren’t that familiar with the classmates. This is a good opportunity to get to know everyone.”

 

Seeing the obvious look of difficulty on Tao Ran’s face, he considerately added, “Don’t worry, our classmates are all very easy to get along with. If you are afraid of awkwardness, you can also bring a family member to play along.”

 

Tao Ran’s lips moved, and he asked hesitantly, “A family member… will everyone bring one?”

 

“Bring one if you want. I haven’t tallied the others yet. I will send out a collection form later.” Zhou Qiang smiled, seemingly revealing it casually, “I will also be bringing my boyfriend then.”

 

After saying this, his expression froze for a moment, and he looked somewhat annoyed, but he still smiled sweetly, two patches of shy red surfacing on his cheeks. “I am sorry, it just slipped out. You won’t mind, will you?”

 

Tao Ran felt that Zhou Qiang’s words had a deeper meaning, but he didn’t overthink it. He shook his head. “No.”

 

His attention was not on the boyfriend Zhou Qiang had inadvertently revealed, but rather on the fact that he did not want to attend this class team-building event.

 

As a socially anxious person, Tao Ran was instinctively resistant to such crowded and noisy social activities.

 

“Then it is settled. It will be this Saturday night,” Zhou Qiang said. “I am leaving first. My boyfriend is still waiting for me for dinner.”

 

“I…” Before Tao Ran could organize his words to refuse, the other man had already turned and left.

 

Xu Jiali happened to return to the classroom from the bathroom. As he entered, he brushed past Zhou Qiang. His gaze unintentionally landed on the logo of the other man’s jacket.

 

He stopped abruptly as if he had seen something incredible. He stood frozen for a full five seconds, looking toward the departing figure.

 

Only when the figure disappeared around the corner did Xu Jiali recover. He walked back to his seat and called out to a classmate who hadn’t left yet. “Holy crap, was that Zhou Qiang who just left the classroom?”

 

“Yeah.” The classmate seemed to guess why he was shocked. “What, could you not recognize him?”

 

“I really almost couldn’t.” Xu Jiali frowned as he recalled the logo he had just seen, a sense of strangeness swirling in his heart. “Isn’t Zhou Qiang a student on financial aid? How does he have the money to buy luxury brand clothes? That jacket he was wearing must cost at least a hundred thousand.”

 

“I remember he dressed very simply when school started. How did he suddenly…” Xu Jiali’s brow furrowed. “And the makeup on his face. First of all, I am not against guys wearing makeup, but it was just too thick. He is a completely different person from when he started.”

 

“Aren’t you usually quite the gossip? How did you become so ill-informed lately?” The classmate shrugged and said, “I thought everyone in the Fine Arts College knew by now.”

 

“Knew what?”

 

“He recently started dating a very rich boyfriend who often buys him designer clothes and shoes. Naturally, he looks completely different when he has the money to dress up,” the classmate said. “I thought everyone in the college had been caught by him to show off. It turns out you are the one who slipped through the cracks. Hahaha.”

 

“Oh, by the way, Tao Ran was supposed to be with you, but just now, while you were in the bathroom, Zhou Qiang already came over and showed off to Tao Ran.”

 

Tao Ran, who was suddenly mentioned: “???”

 

Tao Ran realized later that it was no wonder he felt Zhou Qiang’s words had a subtext earlier; he wanted to show off his boyfriend to him.

 

Xu Jiali took one look at Tao Ran’s expression and understood instantly. He laughed, “Then his showing off was truly in vain. Tao Ran didn’t even understand what he was boasting about.”

 

Tao Ran: “…”

 

Xu Jiali asked the classmate casually, “Then who is that rich boyfriend of his? Is he from our school?”

 

“Yeah, I think he is from the Physical Education College.” The classmate recalled for a moment. “I think his name is Zhao… Zhao Kaiyun?”

 

Tao Ran froze suddenly.

 

“Zhao Kaiyun?” Xu Jiali’s jaw almost dropped. “Holy crap, Zhao Kaiyun went to the same high school as me. His high school girlfriends could form a whole football team. He… he… isn’t he a straight man?”

 

“I don’t know much about that.” The classmate looked at the time. “It is getting late. Let’s talk another day. I am leaving, bye.”

 

The topic ended abruptly. Xu Jiali was still wanting more. “Alright, bye.”

 

It took a while for Xu Jiali to recover from this shocking piece of gossip. He turned to look at Tao Ran and was startled again. “Tao Ran, why did your face suddenly turn so pale?”

 

“…It didn’t.” Tao Ran’s eyes flickered, and he said haltingly, “I am going back to the dorm.”

 

After saying goodbye to Xu Jiali, Tao Ran bought a meal and returned to the dorm.

 

He sat at his desk in a daze, his brain constantly organizing the information he had heard in the classroom.

 

Zhou Qiang’s boyfriend was Zhao Kaiyun.

 

Zhou Qiang said he would bring his boyfriend to the class team-building on Saturday.

 

This meant that if he attended the event this weekend, he would encounter Zhao Kaiyun.

 

At the thought of that name, those terrifying and nauseating memories rushed back. Tao Ran lost even the mood to eat.

 

Xu Jiali said Zhao Kaiyun was a promiscuous straight man in high school, and now he had somehow turned gay and even had a boyfriend.

 

Tao Ran’s memory traced back to that night when Zhao Kaiyun approached him while Qi Yuxiao went to buy water. He remembered the words he had said.

 

He said they were of the same kind, and that he hadn’t been at first, but became so after seeing him.

 

Zhao Kaiyun’s greasy gazes and harassing words resurfaced bit by bit.

 

Only now did Tao Ran understand the deeper meaning behind them. A sudden wave of repulsion washed over him, and his stomach churned with physiological discomfort.

 

He wanted to attend the class team-building even less now.

 

He had to find a reason to refuse.

 

But therein lay the problem.

 

What reason could he find to decline the team-building?

 

Tao Ran thought long and hard.

 

As the sky grew dark, the food on Tao Ran’s desk had turned completely cold, but he hadn’t touched a single bite.

 

“Is no one here?” Zhuo Qiang returned to the dorm. Finding it pitch black, he turned on the light in confusion.

 

As the light came on, Tao Ran’s figure suddenly appeared. Zhuo Qiang was startled and patted his chest weakly. “Tao Ran, why didn’t you turn on the light when you came back?”

 

“I am sorry, I forgot.” Tao Ran’s voice was muffled, his features hiding a deep melancholy. His emotions were practically written all over his face.

 

“What’s wrong?” Zhuo Qiang noticed something was amiss with one glance. “Did something happen again?”

 

Tao Ran sighed. He hadn’t intended to mention it, but then he thought that perhaps Zhuo Qiang could give him some advice. So he spoke, “The class is organizing a team-building event this weekend. I don’t really want to go, but I don’t know what reason to give.”

 

Although Zhuo Qiang was a social butterfly, he was very good at seeing things from different perspectives. He could understand why Tao Ran, as a socially anxious person, didn’t want to deal with such social occasions.

 

His mind whirred, and a flash of inspiration hit him. “How about this? Let’s have a dorm team-building event this weekend!”

 

“Since you don’t want to attend your class event, use our dorm event as an excuse to decline it.” Zhuo Qiang felt he was a genius. “This is called… using magic to defeat magic!”

 

Tao Ran’s reaction was half a beat slow, but the clouds of worry in his eyes slowly dissipated. “That seems possible.”

 

“Our dorm hasn’t had a team-building event yet, right?” Zhuo Qiang was surprised himself. How could he have such a brilliant brain to come up with such an excellent idea? “We should take this opportunity to get together and enhance our friendship.”

 

Tao Ran felt it made sense and nodded in agreement. “It is possible.”

 

“How about mountain climbing? Let’s go to Su Yun Mountain in the neighboring province. I heard the sunrise there is especially beautiful.”

 

“…”

 

Jiang Zhao thick-skinnedly went to Qi Yuxiao’s house for dinner tonight.

 

After the meal, he leaned lazily on the sofa in Qi Yuxiao’s living room, looking satisfied. “Thanks for the hospitality, Young Master Qi. I am coming again tomorrow night.”

 

“Hey, staying at school lately makes me feel like I am growing mold. Want to go out and play this weekend?” Jiang Zhao had a sudden thought. “How about mountain climbing? I heard the scenery at Su Yun Mountain is quite good. We can drive there then.”

 

Qi Yuxiao was resting with his eyes closed to the side, looking uninterested. “Not going. Boring.”

 

“What’s boring about it? You are the one who is boring, okay?” Jiang Zhao rolled his eyes and saw the auntie coming out of the kitchen with a thermos.

 

He jumped up with an “ay.” “Why are you still having Auntie prepare a late-night snack for me? I really can’t eat anymore.”

 

Only then did Qi Yuxiao lift his eyelids and say indifferently, “You wish. Who said it was for you? I am taking it back to the dorm later.”

 

Jiang Zhao: “…”

 

Jiang Zhao: “…”

 

Jiang Zhao: “Have you been possessed by something lately?”

 

Jiang Zhao said in confusion, “What exactly is in that crappy school dorm that makes you so attached to it? You are actually rushing back from a multi-hundred-square-meter apartment in the middle of the night.”

 

“Mind your own business,” Qi Yuxiao said concisely.

 

Jiang Zhao complained speechlessly, “You might as well just move back.”

 

Qi Yuxiao raised an eyebrow. “How did you know I happened to have that idea?”

 

Jiang Zhao: “…”

 

Qi Yuxiao carried the thermos back to the school. He opened the door and scanned the dorm, but didn’t see Tao Ran.

 

He must be in the shower.

 

He placed the thermos containing the snack on Tao Ran’s desk.

 

Zhuo Qiang and Su Jiali were huddled together looking at hotels. Seeing him return, Zhuo Qiang asked eagerly, “Qi Yuxiao, we are planning a dorm team-building this weekend. Are you free?”

 

Qi Yuxiao’s eyes lifted slightly. “Where to?”

 

Su Jiali told him the general plan they had just made. “City A in the neighboring province. we plan to look at the city architecture and try local food during the day on Saturday, then do a night climb of Su Yun Mountain. we will stay overnight on the mountain, watch the sunrise the next morning, then head down and return to school.”

 

At this moment, Tao Ran happened to come out from the shower, his hair wet and his eyes glistening with moisture.

 

Seeing that Qi Yuxiao was back, he also asked eagerly, “Qi Yuxiao, about the dorm team-building mountain climb…”

 

Qi Yuxiao’s gaze landed on Tao Ran and he asked, “Are you going?”

 

Tao Ran nodded and looked at him expectantly. “Are you going?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Qi Yuxiao answered without a second thought.